Ok. I’m sure more important and controversial statements have been made before, but, everyone who responded back, pretty much agreed with me, and trust me when I say this never happens rarely happens in my household of 4 super agumentative opinionated people, so I was pretty excited to say the least!

I even got a message from California Walnuts asking me if I would like a bag of nuts to snack on.

Did you know that approximately 90% of the walnuts grown in the US are grown in California?

Um, yes, please!!!

Thank you California Walnuts!

So, those walnuts, plus this month’s love bloghop theme, #nutlove, leads me to this lovely sweet and savory beet, goat cheese, and walnut salad inspired by a similar one I fell in love with at Sammy’s in San Diego.

The ingredient list is simple, and once you roast the beets, everything else comes together quite easily.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim the greens and hard ends off beets and place them on a baking sheet or roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle a little olive oil over the beets and sprinkle them with salt and pepper, then fold the aluminum foil around and over the beets to cover them. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until you can easily cut through the beets.

Prepare the dressing while the beets are roasting by combining the olive oil, golden balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Set dressing aside.

Once beets are done roasting, allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the nuts in the 400 degree oven for 5 minutes, and divide the greens between 2 salad plates. Lightly chop nuts after toasting and set aside.

When beets are cool enough to handle. remove the skin, and slice in to circles, ~1/8 inch thick. Divide the beets in half and arrange them in an overlapping circle on top of the greens, then divide the nuts between the two plates, and place them in the middle of the beets. Divide goat cheese in half and crumble over the greens, beets, and walnuts, then drizzle the dressing over the salads and serve.

Naturally gluten-free and vegetarian. Simply leave off the goat cheese for a vegan option.

Walnuts are rich in alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-based omega-3 essential fatty acid, along with antioxidants, protein, fiber, magnesium, and phosphorus. These nutrients help make walnuts a nutritional superstar which may protect against heart disease and cancer. and may also help preserve cognitive function by helping to protect brain cells. In addition, walnuts contain melatonin, an antioxidant with sleep regulating properties, so the next time you find yourself tossing and turning, you may wish to nosh on a handful of walnuts instead of counting sheep!

In addition to the health benefits provided by the nuts, this delicious salad offers antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support from the beets, along with potential cancer prevention from the watercress.

December is #nutlove month!

Please join in on the #nutlove fun, by linking up any nut recipe from the month of December 2012. Don’t forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #nutlove event. The twitter hashtag is #nutlove.

Are you a nut lover? Do you have a favorite nut? What is it? Do you agree with me that pretty much everything tastes better with toasted nuts???

I love hearing from you! Please click here to join the conversation. And, if you enjoyed the post, I’d love it {and truly appreciate it!} if you stumble, tweet, pin, or share the post. Cheers!

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Oh this sounds so amazing!! One thing I really miss on my low fodmaps diet is beets. I didn’t realize how much I loved them until I had to give them up I do LOVE goat cheese and walnuts though, so this salad could easily be modified. Walnuts are my favorite. Thank you California!!

I 110% agree with you! A toasted nut on anything takes it up 3 notches!!! My fav? Walnuts and pistachios to nibble and pecans to cook with. Love your beet salad, especially with the addition of the golden, it make a very festive dish! I LOVE beets, LOVE them! I have never bought watercress, isn’t that odd? I need to give it a whirl. Thanks for yet, ANOTHER amazing post. Happy work week!!

Thanks Teri! The watercress was a spur of the moment decision. I usually make this w/ arugula, but there was none to be found and the watercress looked so crisp and pretty, so I decided to use it. It adds a nice peppery kick just like arugula and it’s loaded w/ nutrients so a perfect “win, win”

I have been obsessing on beets lately! I hadn’t had them in years, then had a similar salad at Paon in Carlsbad and now I simply can’t get enough. So glad I popped over here (saw your comment on G+), and I just clicked on the farm link… they have a CSA delivery dropoff less than 2 miles from me. I think I might give it a try! Awesome recipe, and wonderful photos too!

Where do I begin? I love walnuts, goat cheese, and beets. This can’t get any better. I have roasted beets in my fridge already. I bought a bunch last week and didn’t use, so I roasted them in the oven and I’m adding them to salad or eating them alone. I don’t usually toast nuts but I should!

This salad looks amazing! I have serious nut love. Love nuts {and seeds} on just about everything. They are so good for you too! This past week, I toasted some macadamia nuts to top my carrot soup. WOW…they were so much tastier toasted up….who knew?

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